England’s Joe Townsend was crowned the first Commonwealth Games paratriathlon champion having defeated the home favourites on Gold Coast.
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Gold
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England’s Joe Townsend was crowned the first Commonwealth Games paratriathlon champion having defeated the home favourites on Gold Coast.
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Gold
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Middlesbrough’s Jade Jones-Hall made it paratriathlon double gold for England as she took the Commonwealth title on the Gold Coast.
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Super result by @jade_jones11
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Australia’s youth proved too sharp for an experienced England quartet as the home nation finally won the Commonwealth triathlon gold they were craving on the Gold Coast.
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Team England
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The 2018 ÖTILLÖ swimrun season kicked off with a stunning race and a hard fought battle at the 2nd edition ÖTILLÖ Swimrun World Series event on the island of Hvar, Croatia. The Mediterranean setting had all the perfect ingredients to make for a spectacular yet very tough swimrun race.
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The 40,4 kilometres long course was a true test, alternating technical trail running with long, challenging stretches of open-water swimming.
THE WINNERS
George Bjälkemo & Pontus Lindberg, Team Garmin (SWE), managed to pull away from the leading pack and cross the finish line as the first team after 5:15:41, almost five minutes ahead of Peter Aronsson & Fredrik Axegård, Team Swimshop.se (SWE).
The very strong Martin Flinta (SWE) & Helena Karaskova Erbenova (CZE) Team Thule Crew finished as first mixed team and 4th overall with the time of 5:34:07.
The first women’s team Fanny Danckwardt & Desirée Andersson (SWE) Team Envol completed an impressive race and finished after 5:53:52 and 13th overall.
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Images by Pierre Mangez/ÖTILLÖ Hvar
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To reward athletes taking on what is considered one of Europe’s most challenging IRONMAN® 70.3® races, IRONMAN has announced that this year’s IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh on July 1, 2018 will offer athletes a unique chance to qualify for both 2018 and 2019’s IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships at the same race.
A total of 50 qualifying slots to the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France, has been added to the event meaning the race will offer 50 slots each to both the 2018 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa, and the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.
IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh will be the last opportunity for athletes in the UK to secure a ticket for South Africa and the very first opportunity in Europe to qualify for the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship in Nice, France.
Slots will be rewarded based on performance and athletes who earn their slots will have the option of accepting both, leaving athletes to decide whether to test themselves against the world’s best on the southern tip of Africa, in the south of France or both.
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“To become the first race in Europe to offer athletes the chance to qualify for the 2019 IRONMAN 70.3 World Championships is a great addition to the race and a huge reward for those who choose to take up the challenge in Edinburgh. IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh is a true test for athletes and to be rewarded with the opportunity to go to two World Championships is fitting,” said Richard Pearson, IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh Race Director.
IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh is widely touted as one of Europe’s most challenging races featuring a course that includes a swim in the Firth of Forth, a bike featuring technical ascents and descents through the Lothians and a run in Edinburgh’s Holyrood Park under the gaze of the famous extinct volcano, Arthur’s Seat. While the course is challenging it is also abundant in beauty, taking in some of the very best elements of what makes it a true Scottish adventure.
Following his win in Edinburgh in 2017, German professional athlete, Andreas Raelert said: “It’s such a beautiful race course – really challenging, but this course should honestly be the venue for the next IRONMAN 70.3 World Championship.”
The combination of the challenge, raw beauty along with being a capital city race, makes IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh one of the most unique races in Europe.
For athletes travelling from outside of Scotland, Edinburgh is a treasure trove of history, culture and entertainment, having been voted the second best city to visit in the UK in a recent traveller’s poll. The beautiful setting of Holyrood Park, provides the perfect stage for athletes and spectators alike, with the finish line within sight of the imposing Royal residence.
In another first for IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh, IRONKIDS Scotland has now been added to the event weekend. In a global first for IRONKIDS, Scotland will see three standalone events taking place across three separate locations along the IRONMAN 70.3 Edinburgh course. Edinburgh, East Lothian and Midlothian will each host an IRONKIDS Scotland event on Friday.
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Find out more about Ironman 70.3 Edinburgh here
Victoria de Alistair Brownlee en el Ironman 70.3 de Liuzhou por delante de la leyenda Craig Alexander. El británico comienza a escapar de las lesiones…
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Six months after breaking his neck in a training accident that ruled him out of Kona 2018 Tim Don is not only back on his feet but racing again.
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Important update from Tim
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This weekend’s Challenge Mogan Gran Canaria is the 2018 race season starter for many athletes on Saturday (220 included), with the reigning Ironman world champion, Patrick Lange, the big name on the start list.
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We caught up with the German tri star – who shot to prominence in 2016 when he won Ironman Texas and broke the Kona run course record in Hawaii, before smashing the overall Kona course record in 2017 – to hear why he nearly retired in 2015, the secrets of his run success and his key advice for middle-distance athletes.
ON… STARTING HIS SEASON IN GRAN CANARIA
This year can’t be much better than 2017 for me; it was an amazing and surprising adventure. But I’ve only done four Ironmans in my life overall, so I’ve lots to learn and there’s still room for improvement. I’m happy to kick-off my season at Challenge Gran Canaria and are looking forward to racing some of the best athletes in the world. It’s an awesome course that’s technical and should be super fun.
ON… KONA CHANGING HIS LIFE
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I was fortunate enough to finish third in 2016 in Hawaii and that was a big shift in my life, so it was good to have this buffer between third and first in 2017. I don’t think I had the set-up in 2016 to handle first place in Kona. And now there a lot of appointments and commitments, so it’s been a further change in my life. But it’s a great one and something that I enjoy.
ON… NEARLY QUITTING TRI
I came close to retirement in 2015 as I was really struggling. I lost a major sponsor and I wasn’t so sure whether I should go back to working full-time as a physio or go to long-distance triathlon. I’ve always wanted to do the Ironman and, after the end of 2015, I started being coached by Faris Al Sultan. I got into Ironman Texas, and won it, and it’s gone from there.
ON… ONLY RACING FOUR IRONMANS
A lot of things have gone into my quick Ironman progress. I stopped working full-time as a physio, my private life changed, I moved house and I started working more with my club. And yet at the back of my mind, I was always thinking about Ironman. But I wanted to wait until I felt ready for it. And it took Faris to say, ‘Okay, let’s do this’. And after a winter training with him, I had the feeling that I was ready to go. After Texas, I got the chance to start working with Canyon who set my bike up in the fastest and most stable way. The whole package changed a lot.
ON… THE IRONMAN VIRUS
I’m always been into sports. I raced mountain biking from 12-16 and then went to tri. My first coach had raced Kona six times and he had plenty of stories from Hawaii. It was that which set the Ironman virus in me. I did a lot of drafting and Olympic-distance stuff but I knew the longer distances suited me early on.
ON… THE ORIGINS OF HIS RUN SPEED
My parents weren’t runners so I’m not sure it’s genetics, but I’ve been working with a run technique coach for five years now to improve my running style. I put plenty of time in working with him on my technique. There are a lot of Ironman athletes with the engine to run sub-2:40 in Hawaii, but they don’t have the engine or the chassis to handle it. The technique isn’t good enough to hold that speed.
ON… THE GERMAN M-DOT HERITAGE
The German greats of triathlon were a huge inspiration for me. I’ve raced against Normann Stadler, Faris, Timo Bracht… And you know if you wanted to beat them you had to up your game. There’s stacked competition in Germany in all the races, and if you wanted to win you knew you had to be fast. Each athlete there is inspired by Thomas Hellriegel, Stadler and Faris, and they put the sport of Ironman on the next level in Germany. And now I’m benefiting from the huge experience of Faris, and he’s seen everything in the sport.
ON… JAVIER GOMEZ IN IRONMAN
We’re all very interested to seeing how Javier Gomez performs at Ironman Cairns. A 2:30hr marathon for him is certainly possible. We’ll see how fast he can be but there have been really fast Olympic athletes who have found Kona a different beast.
ON… GOING SUB-8HRS IN HAWAII
My race season starts here in Gran Canaria, then it’s 70.3 in Kraichgau before the European Ironman Championships in Frankfurt. After that I’ll altitude train in St. Moritz and head to Texas and train there in the build-up to Hawaii, which I’ve done for the past two seasons. I like to keep things the same before Kona. And I want to win again in Hawaii, whether it’s 8:15 or 7:58. Breaking the sub-8hr barrier would be pretty cool, and that record will fall in the next few years. If I’m the guy who’s on it enough to break it, then I’ll be happy. But most important is to win the race.
ON… HIS KEY 70.3 RACING ADVICE
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The main thing people forget these days is to have fun. I see a lot of angry faces on the start line! Too focussed and too stressed out. Everyone can be too much into their Garmins and ignoring their body’s advice. It’s a pleasure to compete in middle-distance triathlon and, while you need to focus and race well, it should be about having fun and that’s easy to forget.
Tim Don doesn’t want dwell on his (frankly quite amazing) recovery from a near-fatal neck injury that ruled him out of Kona 2017. Oh no. He has bigger fish to fry than that. Much bigger. Like, winning-Kona-sized bigger…
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It’s during our exclusive interview below that the multiple world champ, Ironman world record holder and 220 columnist reveals the mindset that has seen him go from lying on the roadside after a horrific bike crash, to undergoing a brutal rehab in a halo neck brace (a near-medieval torture style device that was screwed into his skull), to completing the Boston Marathon in 02:49:22 – a time close to his Ironman run time.
Tim Don on coming back from a broken neck
Tim Don back racing after breaking his neck
“The thing about Boston Marathon was it marked the end of the last 6 months. It’s not that I’m not focusing on recovery, I am, but I don’t want to see myself as a recovering athlete. Now it’s like ‘I’m back, I’m a professional, I need to do my rehab but I also need to compare myself to the guys that are breaking course records…”
Got that? Good. Then here’s the full story, from the man himself…
Was there ever any doubt in your mind that you’d return to triathlon?
Tim Don: You know, initially, it wasn’t on the horizon. The first couple of days you’re more practical, thinking about the pain and how to deal with a broken neck. Once they’d fitted the halo, they said ‘ok this is it – now come back in 3 weeks for scans unless you’ve got issues’… They don’t really give you much advice and it’s quite a peculiar contraption. I had to sleep in a chair bolt upright, it was hard to swallow at first because my neck was in a strange position… so no I definitely wasn’t thinking about training! Three weeks later though, I was itching to do something.
Was having the halo a hard decision to make?
Tim Don: It wasn’t, because when you go to the doctors and you’re sick and they give you antibiotics, do you question them? You just say okay. This was the same thing – you’re seeing these experts and it’s their area of expertise. They gave me three options [a cast, surgery or the halo] but said “to be honest, if you want to get back to what you were doing this is the only option.” I wanted to get back, so there was no real choice.
I’ll be honest, knowing what I know now I’d go for a fusion – I would never have a halo again! The doctor that fitted it looks after loads of hospitals in Denver – so maybe 3-5 million people – and he only fits three halos a year maximum, because everyone goes for the fusion.
It was at one of my later appointments, when he had to tighten the screws, that he told me that most people only last between three days and a week before they have it taken off because as well as the pain, the practicality isn’t so good. They tighten the screws to 8 newton metres (when you tighten your seat post it’s only 4-5 NM), at least a centimetre into the skull and the metal frame goes all the way down to your belly button and if you knock it that vibration goes up to your skull… Plus every time the screws came loose my head would swell up and they’d need tightening again. I was in it for three months exactly. It felt like an eternity.
Tim in the ‘halo’ neck brace he had to wear for 6 months.
When you starting training again (still in the halo), did you have your doctor’s blessing?
Tim Don: I kind of had his blessing – it was kind of ‘don’t do anything stupid’ though! It wasn’t so much the fracture they were worried about, as bone takes 6-8 weeks to heal, it was more the curvature of my spine and the gaps between my vertebrae which they didn’t want to change. The surgeon who put the halo on is an accomplished surgeon, but he’s also an Ironman triathlete. He’s been to Kona and is doing Alaskaman this year, so he gets it.
I literally started with 5 minutes on a gym exercise bike at 80 watts and then with John Dennis, my physio, we came up with a plan to make the rest of my body (neck aside!) as strong and as injury-proof as possible so when I came back to being able to train, after about four and a half months of no running, I wouldn’t tear a calf, get Plantar Fasciitis, or a stiff lower back from being back on a bike… So we tried to do a lot of S&C around those groups for prevention, so that was my new goal – my new fix!
Have you learnt anything during that period that’s a positive thing?
Tim Don: Never give up! I learnt a lot about the community as well though. I mean I’ve been racing since 1992 and a professional triathlete since 1997, I’ve won medals, I’ve been to the Olympics, but never before have I had so many well-wishers. It meant a lot to me and I’ve been blown away by how people reached out. I’m lucky.
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Your race comeback was the Boston Marathon – was there a reason you chose a run first?
Tim Don: I knew the first thing I could come back and do would be a run! It wouldn’t be a 1500m swim race in the pool, that would be horrifically painful – and as for cycling, I still can’t turn my neck enough to see behind me – so of the three disciplines running is what we all do first and so I knew I could do it. Then the opportunity came up to run Boston Marathon with support from On [Tim’s run sponsor] and I said yes!
Originally the goal was just to finish, then as we got closer we were hoping for under 3 hours, then the founder of On said he’s give me $1000 if I could run under 02:56 so it was like ‘yes, game on!’ Then the NY Times ran an article where they suggested 02:44 because that was my time in the Ironman world record run, and I said ‘no way, if I can get near 02:50 I’ll be happy’, so then the goal became 02:50 – and I did it in 02:49!
Click to the next page to read more of our exclusive interview with Tim Don >>>>>
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Has your running gait changed since your injury?
We haven’t done video analysis on a treadmill, but Julie videos me a lot in Boulder and my lower half is very similar, but I’m still very stiff through my thoracic spine, my shoulders, my upper traps and going into my neck, I’m more rigid. This is the most comfortable position for my neck [Tim demonstates, with his head just tilted a tiny fraction off-centre] and it’s not straight – but if I put it straight I get a massive pain all down the side, so we’ve definitely got a lot of work to do. Especially if I want to come off the bike and do a 02:44 again!
Tim in Brazil, on his way to breaking the Ironman World Record by more than 4 minutes with a time of 7:40:23.
How about your swimming and your cycling now? Are you still swimming with a snorkel until you get that mobility back?
I’m swimming without the snorkel as well, I just can’t do the whole session without it. I’m up to 3,000m which you might think is great, but it’s not great when you consider that right now Jan [Frodeno] and Sebi [Kienle] are doing 6,000m sets no problem.
That was the other thing about Boston – it marked the end of the last 6 months. It’s not that I’m not focusing on recovery, I am, but I don’t want to see myself as a recovering athlete. Now it’s like ‘I’m back, I’m a professional, I need to do my rehab but I also need to compare myself to the guys that are breaking course records etc etc.’
I think swimming is going to be the toughest though. Matt Bottrill, my coach, is loving the biking though as it’s quite hard to lift my neck up, so I’m actually keeping myself more aerodynamic!
For the run, it’s about getting everything firing again as it’s not used to moving. The run’s especially important too, as that’s my weapon. So yeah, lots of work to do, but it’s different work to normal, so I’m quite excited in a perverse sort of way!
Has your attitude to cycling changed at all since the accident?
I was worried initially that I was going to ride 100m on the road and go ‘oh my god I can’t do this, the cars are too close, the noise…’, but I’m actually a very practical person and so no, I didn’t feel emotional. Also remember I’ve been a pro for a long time and it’s the first time I’ve been hit by a vehicle. I’ve fallen off, I’ve had pins, stitches, but it’s always been because of mechanicals – a blowout, failed equipment – but this was just a freak accident.
I do all my riding now with a rear light on, even in the day, just to say ‘I’m here!’, but apart from that no changes… Also I’m lucky as I train in Boulder and the hard shoulders are like 2 metres wide and cars are on the whole amazing at giving us a wide berth.
What advice would you give to any 220 readers who are injured or facing time out?
First up, don’t break your neck! But if you do, then don’t have a halo fitted!
D’you know what though? You need to remember there’s always something you can do. Maybe you can still move your legs, train differently in some way – unless it’s a terminal state you will come back from your injury and you will do a triathlon again, so what can you do in the meantime to help?
If need be take a physical or a mental break, take some time out, spend time with the family and don’t dwell on it. Don’t get me wrong though, it wasn’t all bells and whistles for me – there were dark times! I’m a real believer in being positive though, as who knows what’s just around the corner?
So what’s the goal for you, now you’re back training as a pro?
Well, the goal is to go to Kona! I’m going to hopefully do a 70.3 at the end of June, then in July do either Zurich or Hamburg Ironman – they’re on the same day – and then that should hopefully give me enough points to do to Kona. If I finish say 5th at Hamburg but I’m 22 minutes after the winner, then I don’t think I’ll go to Kona. If I go, I want to be where I believe I can be.
There are goals – so we know that by a certain date I need to be able to swim 3.8km without a snorkel, hold X power on a bike – so there will be training milestones. The first was to finish the marathon and the second was to do it under 3 hours, so we’re looking good, so far! It’s a long road.
You’ve had a lot of support from On – and now they’re producing a film about you?
A film, ha! No it’s a documentary! I haven’t seen the ending yet because they haven’t edited the parts from Boston yet, but I’ve seen the rest and it’s a bit peculiar as it’s not me playing a character, it’s just me… So it was a bit uncomfortable for me to watch! I hope people will watch it and think ‘he doesn’t give up’ and see that there’s always light at the end of the tunnel. I hope people take something positive from it.
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The documentary ‘The Man With The Halo’ will be available to watch through www.on-running.com on 28th May. See the trailer here now.
After two successful pilot races on Jersey and Hamilton Island (Australia) last year Super League Triathlon (SLT) have announced their 2018-19 season schedule, which sees the top 50 (25 male and 25 female) triathletes from around the world compete to find the best all-round triathlete.
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$1.5 million dollar Super League Triathlon unveiled
There will be five championship rounds as well as two qualifier events. The qualifiers will take place in the iconic triathlon heartlands of Poznan (Poland) and Penticton (Canada), setting the tone for what will be a gripping season ahead.
What is the Qualifier Series?
The championship events will be held in five unique locations across Europe and Asia Pacific, showcasing pristine beaches, epic terrains and historical landmarks. The five locations for the 2018-19 season are: Jersey (UK), Malta, Mallorca, Singapore and Australia.
The series will kick off in Jersey on 29th September, with big names competing including the Brownlee brothers (GBR), Flora Duffy (BER), Richard Murray (RSA), Henri Schoeman (RSA), Mario Mola (ESP), Ashleigh Gentle (AUS), Nicola Spirig (SUI) and Katie Zaferes (USA). The league will continue in Malta (27-28 October), Mallorca (3-4 November) and Singapore (23-24 February 2019), with the final event held in Australia (16-17 March 2019).
SLT sees the top 50 (25 male and 25 female) triathletes from around the world compete
Two-time Olympic gold medallist Alistair Brownlee said: “It’s great to kick off the Super League Triathlon season close to home. There was such a great crowd in Jersey last year; this new format of triathlon makes for some great racing and is really entertaining to watch, so I’m excited for a big turnout and to see what I can do in September.”
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Commonwealth gold medallist Henri Schoeman said:“I’m excited to get the Super League Triathlon season kicked off again. I had bad luck in both Hamilton and Jersey last year so I’m hoping it can only get better and go for the series win. I’ve had a great start to the 2018 season so far with two medals at the Commonwealth Games, so I’m feeling confident.”
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